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In the prior article on “The Biggest Lie Ever Told,” I discussed the main reasons why people don’t succeed with their new years resolution of getting into shape. In order to give this year a true chance, I’m going to write 9 blog posts with tips that have helped me over the years and that have been proven concepts for many of our members at www.systemstrainingcenter.com, and my own personal training clients.
The first step is to actually figure out what you want the end result to be. You have to work backwards. We call this the 3 Ws:
The What
The Why
The How
What.
]You need to decide what goals to set. That way, you have a marker, or a lighthouse, to lead you. If you’re sailing a ship but you’re not going in any specific direction, you’ll never reach a planned destination! The What needs to be time specific (to be discussed more in detail later). Are you going to reach this goal within 6 months? Within a year? That’s why realistic goals are so important. If you set goals that are not realistic, you’re setting yourself up for failure and that’s not what we are trying to do here.
Why.
There’s no doubt that during the year or whatever time limit you set, there’s going to be days that are difficult. When the body is aching and the mind is tired and the pounds aren’t coming off as fast as you want to, there’s going to be moments where the self discipline is going to try to take a few days off. Those are the days when you will ask yourself, “Why am I doing this again?”
You better have an exceptional answer ready for those moments. An answer anything less than exceptional will not fuel you when you need it most. Your why must be strong enough to silence the naysayers within yourself.
The Why has to be powerful, it has to be honest and it has to be emotional. You have to ask yourself , “Why is this so important to me?” Maybe it’s because you haven’t dared to take your clothes off at the beach in over 10 years. Maybe it’s because you feel weak both physically and mentally and you’re tired of it. Or perhaps it’s because you want to see your children grow up. Or your grandkids. Whatever your true WHY is, find it and use it as fuel!
Once you have found your true Why, it’s time for the How.
How.
Once you know what you want and you know why you want it, it’s time to decide how you’re going to do it. There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered. Is it diet? Is it training? Is it a combination of both (which in my honest opinion it should be)? What in your diet needs to be cleaned out? What type of workouts are you going to do? Are you going to do it on your own? Are you going to join a gym or some other form of group training? Do you plan on learning a skill, such as martial arts? Are you going to get a personal trainer that will hold you accountable?
Only you can answer these questions but let’s not wait until January first to answer them, let’s strategise now, in order to start the new year ready. Because those who fail to plan, plan to fail, as Mr Benjamin Franklin said.
Again, having someone to discuss these with can be great, whether it is a personal trainer, friend or a partner.